GELO DI MELLONE ( Jellied watermelon)

There is a Sicilian saying that it does not matter whatever you do to a zucca (squash/pumpkin) it always remains such – tasteless.

This is not so with Gelu ‘i muluni (Sicilian for watermelon jelly) – an old Sicilian recipeandonce a popular dessert. Many Sicilians say that this dessert has Arab origins and it is easy to see why. The addition of the extra flavourings – vanilla, cinnamon, rose water, chocolate and pistachio transform the taste of what is basically liquefied watermelon juice solidified with corn starch.

As a child living in Trieste, I always called watermelon, anguria as it is called in the north, but when we visited Sicily (my family went there every summer), it was called mellone (also melone).

Watermelon appears to be more popular with those of us in Australia who have come from a different cultural background. I always notice people buying big slabs or whole watermelons at the market. Have you noticed in Asian restaurants as it is often presented as a palate cleanser at the end of a meal? Or the Greek and Italian families eating watermelon at the beach?

When my son was young, he was very friendly with a Turkish family and he used to report that over summer, there was always watermelon at his friend’s house. They ate it with bread; this is not surprising when watermelon can be used as an ingredient for a watermelon salad,made with feta, black olives, sliced onion, extra virgin olive oil, seasoning and mint (one version of this salad, now popular in many Australian homes).

Although this dessert is very easy to make, it does look very attractive and your guests will think that you have gone to a lot of effort – much more so than just serving up slices of watermelon.

One kilo of watermelon is sufficient to make 4 desserts.

INGREDIENTSripe watermelon, 1k

sugar, 100gpure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoonrosewater, 2-3 tablespoons (or jasmine water – steep flowers in some hot water overnight)cornstarch , 40gpistachios , chopped, 50gchocolate, chopped, 50gcandied citron,( Sicilians use Zuccata – candied zucca (squash/pumpkin family) 50gcinnamon, 1 stick.Remove rind and seeds and liquefy in food processor or blender (1k of watermelon gave me 1 litre of juice).Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and add some watermelon juice gradually to form a smooth paste.Add rest of the juice and the cinnamon stick and on low heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thickenedRemove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and rose water.

Discard the cinnamon stick, pour it into a bowl (or individual bowls) and place it into the refrigerator until required. The pistachio and chocolate can be sprinkled on top when ready to eat or wait till the gelo is cool and then fold in the solids before refrigerating.